Cry for the Planet
by CL37
Summary: An on-going novelisation of the legendary RPG ahead of the remake that is coming... Err... When SquareEnix are done with it!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Cloud Strife, former Soldier first class, choked on thick smog as a train thundered through Midgar's under tunnels. He was a fish out of water, instead of a firearm, on his back was a heavy broadsword. Its blade was forty-two inches long and at least three inches thick. While his uniform was the black and purple mesh jumpsuit reserved for elite first rankers of the Soldier force. No matter how little loyalty he held to either side, a strong armour remained essential.

'Station approaching!' An activist yelled. 'About one mile left before we slow for station one!'

'Awright, everyone be ready!' Barret called and ducked into a recess on top of the train.

For three minutes the bumpy ride continued before a hideous screech excreted from the rails. A final puff of energy twinged steam spewed from the locomotive before all activity ceased. The group prepared their assault in silence, eyes fixed upon two guards that patrolled the platform. The leader threw his left arm up and two point-men began the attack an instant later.

The first warrior sported a dark green outfit which ended just below the figure's knees, tucked into a pair of brown boots. Cloud watched the _ally_ slide up to the edge of the platform, hidden in the space between the rails and the under tray of the carriage. The activist waited for the first guard to walk on by before he leapt up from the blind spot.

The thick baton in his right hand smashed against the centre of the guard's skull. A hideous crack filled the air as it dislodged from the tip of his spine. Dazed and confused the guard staggered around, the fighter thrashed the club into his enemy's windpipe. The sentry sank to his knees and tried to breathe as his face grew purple around the jawline. The effort met with failure and he collapsed into a lifeless heap.

Behind the man came the click of a rifle. Cloud watched as the barrel of the gun was pointed from a distance. He shook his head at what he saw. The fighter should have hauled the guard down to the rails, rather than leave himself open for a capture at the other end. His _ally_ sank to his knees, placed his hands on his head and interlocked the fingers.

As the guard slithered along the platform, the second fighter appeared without sound from the crawl space between each car. Unlike her comrade, she wore dull grey armour that blended into the mechanical surroundings. Her eyes were trained on the enemy, while she clutched a pair of knives, the silvered blades held with a reverse grip so they pointed towards her own body. As the careless guard reached for a pair of handcuffs, she pounced, flicked her knives the other way around and held the blades an inch from his throat. The figure gave a yelp of terror before she ripped through his jugular and sprayed blood across her ally's back. Cloud was impressed! She was much more focused and controlled. More than that, her first strike was deadly. No pause for quarter offered.

'You could have made him mess up the platform instead of me!' The idiot said as he clambered back to his feet.

'And you better look out when in a fight!' Their leader said, 'these lot ain't jus' some raw cadets.'

'You don't have to worry about Soldier.' Cloud said and vaulted from the train to join them. 'It's not likely that Shinra will have them patrolling the reactors.'

'That's cuz all the others are distractin' them suckers! The big fight in Sector Two is all that they's be caring about!'

'It's only a good ploy if we are quick enough to exploit it.'

The leader's eyes narrowed. 'Jus' becuz you were once a Soldier don't make you leader. But you's right, we's better move out!'

The group darted for the edge of the platform, as they departed Cloud realised he didn't even know their names. It summed up how he felt about the mission. This was not a mission to lay his life on the for, unlike the battles he had undertaken for the conglomerate. There was an irony in that; one of their former elite had turned traitor. He imagined former comrades driven by a wish for his death.

He shook his mind clear and walked to the corpses. A rough search through their pockets revealed a couple of tiny curative items. To his disappointment, they carried no money or weapons that were of any use. Search complete, he made for the exit when a light from the platform roof flashed. With a curse he realised the general alarm had gone off. He darted free of the station and turned back to face the archway. A pair of guards ran along the line with assertion and speed, the signal box that had housed them stood on the horizon and he grinned, Shinra had been more intelligent than he anticipated. He slid against the wall, out of sight of the entrance door. Calm, he drew in a deep breath and held it, his heart beat slowed, and the silence grew.

The guards fell for the ruse and rushed free onto the street. They looked on ahead, confused, when the sound of metal cutting the air caught their attention. It proved too late, the huge blade completed a semi-circular arc, both heads fell to the cobbled road outside the station a mere heartbeat afterwards. Their killer glanced back and saw that the station had fallen into silence, with no other guards in sight. Satisfied there was no further threat, he threw the sword over his shoulder and the two holes in the blade slotted over magnetic orbs fashioned into the back of his suit to secure the weapon and free his arms.

He drank in the image of Sector One. Like everywhere else in Midgar, it was an imposing vision, colossal girders sprang up from deep beneath the cobbled roads. A constant banging sounded in the distance, as if ten thousand iron mongers smelted simultaneously. The sky was hazy as Mako driven smog suffocated the northern part of the metropolis.

'Huh?' The sound of his thick boots had roused a green clothed terrorist who turned to face Cloud, 'So you're the new guy eh?' The joker announced and offered his hand. Cloud ignored it. 'Heh... You're really serious about things aren't you? Don't say too much. We don't even know your name.'

'Cloud.'

'Cloud eh? Well my name's Biggs, that there is...'

'Do me a favour. Save your breath. I don't care what your names are, I am here for this mission, after that I am done.'

'Hey man! What kind of attitude is that? Want some quick cash before you go back to Soldier?'

Cloud's eyes narrowed. 'If I were going to go back to Soldier, you'd either be dead, or shackled to the back of a truck and dragged in my wake.'

Ahead, the woman fighter turned to him. 'Let's save the brawling for the inside of the reactor right? Getting the mission done is what matters isn't it?'

'Save your breath Jessie, guy isn't worth it.'

She threw her gaze back at the small computer screen, the ambivalence threw her nerves all over the place.

With the issue of comradeship buried, Cloud kept his eyes focused on the huge iron gate that stood between the high concrete walls of the reactor. It reminded him of a prison, not an energy plant. The main cooling tower rose way above his head, he craned his neck to view the tip. Once at full stretch he gave up and guessed the height to be at least two hundred feet.

'Where's Wedge?' Jessie said.

Biggs chuckled. "How could you misplace a fat git like him?'

Jessie rolled her eyes, while Cloud ignored the whole conversation. He began to feel the mission would be a disaster. He had been the only one to cut off a rear assault, now he found two of the main techs joked in the street about one of their own.

'Heh... Well anyway, you know what he does best right?' Biggs continued. 'He's up on the roof of the train station, scanning the distance.'

Before Cloud could ponder the ploy's success, the leader stormed into view from the right hand road. As the figure was surrounded by the light of the lamps, Cloud found himself taking a long look at the man. Unlike many of the populace, the figure was dark skinned, with a stubbly beard formed along the line of his chin. His hair had been cut razor sharp in the style of a marine. The figure's biceps bulged with the veins visible to the naked eye. It was as if the fighter had eaten steroids for breakfast.

As unusual a look that was, it was not what made the man so eye catching. It was the right arm, where one expected a fist to hang, was instead a large six barrelled mini-gun. Cloud also took in the image of a long bullet-belt coiled around the man's body, it was an awesome and terrifying sight.

"What the hell did I tell you lot? Stupid idiots are gonna get us busted! Don' move in a large group!'

Jessie blushed. 'I am still trying to figure a way in, the gate lock is easy with my ice breakers, that floor is the problem.' She said and pointed at an illuminated square that covered almost the entire pavement in front of the gate.

'Wha's that all abou'?'

'That's a security hot plate Barret, Soldier boy would know more about it.' Biggs said.

'How abou' it? Why's it so important?'

'You enjoy fighting an army?' Cloud said, 'Like the idea of battling Shinra guards, Turks and Soldier in one fell swoop? Well if you do, step right up. That plate is connected to a security line that is priority 1-A. I remember when some drunk clot staggered on one at four in the morning. You've never seen so many pissed off members of the militia.'

Barret swore, then said, 'how's we gonna ge' 'round it?'

Cloud smiled. 'Find a way to get the breaker into the slot without touching the pad. While you all think of something, I am going to check on your wide boy.' Before they could protest, he slipped away from the street.

* * *

The wind howled as it streamed over the buildings in the sector. Wedge was terrified by the noise, while the darkness felt like it crushed him. But the fat man shook his head and focused, his vision trained down the scope of his rifle.

Cloud almost burst into laughter as he saw the man, who could not have been any less convincing a sniper. He wore an ill fitting yellow armour that exposed flabs of flesh. A thick leather belt was strapped over one shoulder and held a trio of grenades. Numerous ammo clips were on his main belt that doubled as a way of keeping the denim trousers from falling down. Even the western bandana looked ridiculous.

'What do you see?' He said as he slipped beside the man.

Wedge yelped in surprise then pointed at a distant spire. 'There's a guard watching from there, he's got full vision.'

'Let me look.' Cloud commanded then stared down the scope at the glass tower on the horizon. A solitary man sat with his feet on a console that was wedged against the circular glass. Numerous dials, switches and buttons appeared to blip and the figure's eyes were fixed on a wall of monitors set just above the terminals.

'Knocking him off is not the problem, just got to be sure that if we do, the movement on the ground is held off enough to prevent me getting locked out.' Wedge said.

Cloud eyed the man. He knew they would have around a fifteen second window. Too little time to get the man down should the card entry and shot not be synchronised. 'Can you get down in twenty seconds or less?' Wedge nodded at his question. 'Then knock him off, once you shoot knock this to the street.' He placed an empty vial on the lip of the roof. 'Don't wait up, as soon as this is moved, you run for the gate. Do not miss the cut!' He darted from the sniper and felt, rather than saw, the man slip into position for the shot, he did not look back.

* * *

'...He's not one of us, the guy will betray us!' Biggs said.

Barret shrugged. 'The guy's no' done it so far. Son of a bitch might later, but we's gotta keep the train goin'! Plus she gave the guy a good report, we can trust her.'

As Cloud walked from the stairwell he was aware of who the topic of conversation was. He did not care, all he wanted was for this farce to be over so he could cash in and move onto the next mission. He walked over to the trio and stood before them. 'Your sniper is set, once he has taken the shot, he'll drop a vial from the roof, when it hits the floor we open the gate.'

'I ain't gonna tell you again! You might be some big Soldier man, but I am the leader!' Barret said, 'this missions' goin' my way, if you don' like it then ge' outta 'ere! But you's gonna kiss goodbye to your money.'

Cloud rolled his eyes, there was no time for _this_. 'I am not interested in your leader nonsense, I care only for this mission's success. Now, if you want to wind up in a prison cell as a failure then be my guest and carry on your macho approach. But unlike you, I know these reactors and the best ways in.'

'Awright then, you give us your big plan!'

'The plate is too sensitive to simply cover and walk on. Barret, you and I can easily hoist Jessie off the ground using a rope looped over that street-lamp.' He announced and pointed to a fixture some four feet from the security panel. 'Biggs then pushes her like a pendulum until she is close enough to the card slot, she thrusts it home, the gate opens.'

Silence ruled before everyone began to laugh, he stood motionless as the crew lost all their focus. He had had enough, the whole thing was a complete nonsense, if they wanted to be brash then they would, but he would not be part of it. He turned his heels and walked towards the station, if he followed the train lines, he would reach the inner plate and a way out. They could enjoy their ride to the prison without him.

A thick arm planted on his collar and spun him around, his eyes stared straight into Barret's. The face was devoid of the humour that had been there just seconds earlier, by his side the two aides stood stock still. Not knowing if the pressure of the situation was about to blow up worse than the reactor would.

'You walkin' out? Gonna jus' leave us to go right along alone?' Barret said, 'Who d'ya think you're dealin' wit'?! Avalanche ain't about being an army, we's gotta save th' planet!'

'Are you done? You want this mission to work? Then you think serious or you fail.'

'Listen! We ain't gonna jus' be like Shinra! We want to take them down. You in or you out?'

'Are you going to execute a simple plan or laugh your way to jail?'

'Enough, let's bury this.' Jessie cut in, 'the plan sounds like it will work. We laughed at how an ex-Soldier would come up with something so childish. It caught us out.'

'I served in Wutai, simple but effective, it won us the war.' He turned to Barret, 'strike while the iron is hot, you in?'

Barret smiled and raised his right fist into the air. 'Let's ge' th' party started!'

* * *

Wedge lay tight on the rooftop, his eyes stared into the distance. A dot formed in the centre of the scope, trained where the bullet would travel. Below he watched Barret raise his left arm, the signal for the mission to go green. He took short breaths, his heart rate quickened as he envisioned the shot's aftermath. He placed his chunky finger on the trigger and prepared to fire. The tiny air-stream that was spewed from the fan underneath the barrel faded to the right by about one degree. Coolly he calculated the shot in his mind, aware he'd have only a split second to shoot again should the first slug fail to find the target.

He refused to be cowed by thoughts of failure and pulled the trigger. The weapon recoiled under his armpit, though the barrel spewed no sound as the slug flew from inside. Wedge kept his eyes on the enemy and watched as the target was punched backwards, a hole in the centre of his skull. He felt exultant as he rose to his feet, yet a sudden downer came upon him, this was only the beginning. He kicked the vial off the edge of the roof and rushed down to join the others.

* * *

Cloud listened intently and as soon as shattered glass inched through his ear drums he called for the plan to start. Barret was the anchor, the rope coiled tight around his back and he crouched at an angle of forty-five degrees. In front of him, Cloud mirrored the position and they each began to pull backwards. Jessie inched from the floor and gestured for them to continue. He watched her, aware that they would soon have to maintain a level height whilst the rope was subjected to swinging forces and weight. One slip from either would send a distress call across Midgar. He refused to let the thought unsettle him and anchored his legs in one place.

Biggs took three running steps towards his hanging ally and pushed with both hands. Jessie swung for a few feet and came back towards him. He braced his palms to control the back-swing, before he shoved again. Four times the move was repeated before Jessie was confident enough to wrap her palm around an iron bar and held herself above the panel. She pulled out the transparent card and slotted it home, a green light surrounded the panel and gas pistons sounded.

The light from the ground died and she was set down. Avalanche gathered their movements and rushed through the opening. Cloud began to count seconds as he stood at the gap and looked to the street beyond. From the stairwell Wedge appeared and tried to run. His bulky frame rendered him far slower than any of the others. The pistons sounded again and gears began to warm up. Wedge rushed as hard as he could, his feet pounded over the darkened security plate. With a desperate leap he flung himself into the air and skidded on his belly across the threshold. As he came to a halt against a metal pipe, the gate ground into life and closed behind them.

'Well we are inside.' Cloud said.

'Yeah and we's not gonna jus' go out the same way we came in. Wedge, use tha' stuff of Jessie's and ge' the main gate to Sector Eight open. We's gonna ta' the train to Sector Seven. Everyone else follow me!' At his command Avalanche ran towards the reactor's main entrance.

* * *

If the tower seemed imposing on the street, up close Cloud truly understood the nature of the beast. At surface level it stretched over two hundred feet into the air. But, he glanced below and was chilled by how deep the reactor clawed. His eyes stopped trying to digest the image once it got past the service levels between the plates. As he attempted to draw his vision back from the edge, his pupils drank in the hypnotic display from the ground below. A black curtain of darkness had draped across the scene, distant lights from houses and streets in the slums punctuated it, as if they were stars in the night sky. It crafted the illusion that he stared at Earth from heaven. He felt dizzy and imagined falling into it.

He forced himself to look to the mission ahead, aside from Wedge, the others had turned and gone into the reactor. As a location, the Shinra had thought of everything. Thanks to Midgar being split into eight sectors there was always going to be space between on the upper levels, so the rulers placed reactors in the gaps. The only way to reach to them was a bridge that crossed between the sectors, while another formed a t-shape to the entrance. He rushed along the bridge and through the main doors, the environment changed immediately. Where there had been a subtle breeze and delicate sense of life above the world. Here, the air felt dense, hot and pressed against him. He ignored the sensation and walked along the concrete corridor to a small set of stairs. The rest of the group waited at the top.

'You keep preaching about being quick, then take forever.' Biggs said.

'We's not go' time for that. This place's gonna explode when we's through!' Barret said.

'Which is something I wanted to ask about.' Cloud said, 'how do we pull that off? A reactor this size would need an explosive the like not seen since the war.'

Jessie smiled. 'It would if all you wanted to do was drop a bomb and run away. We're a little more intelligent than that; this whole tower has dozens of air ducts that take pressure away from the cooling tower. Strap a bomb to a panel inside that and it'll explode, the flash launching a chain reaction that will feed through the entire thing.'

'Not a bad plan, but where do we set the charge?'

'Jessie knows all abou' it!' Barret cut in, 'Meantime we's gotta do thi'! The planet is full of mako energy, people use it everyday. Thanks to these bloodsuckers all th' energy is being stolen from our world!'

Cloud rolled his eyes. Barret had preached all along the train, he did not need it here! 'I did not sign up for this to get some lecture. Let's hurry.'

Barret's face flushed crimson. 'Tha's it! Yo' ass coming wit' me from now on!'

He felt like laughing. But, with Barret at his side it might shut the man up. With everyone prepared for the mission ahead, he took point and walked to a huge sliding gate that stood at the end of the corridor. Before he had chance to think about the mechanism, Jessie slipped by his side and inserted another of her transparent cards into a slot. Seconds later the doors slid backwards.

Beyond was a sinister looking industrial morass. The floor had changed from greyed concrete to a criss crossing form of wired mesh that appeared fragile. Only as he saw the thick bars that braced them did he understand how no one had fallen through to the mako pools many metres below them.

'You sa' you's been inside a reactor before?' Barret said.

'Many times; just not for a long while.'

Barret seemed to take in his words before he shook them off and changed the subject. 'We need to get down the elevator. From there, we go on further.'

Silence filled the room as the pair began the walk through the open level of the reactor. The echoes of his footsteps disturbed him; it suggested the place was empty and he did not trust it! One did not get away with knocking off security; no doubt, somewhere inside this mechanical maze, another set of men waited.

As if to prove his silent theory right, a klaxon sounded. In front of them he saw a narrow line of light within the thick elevator door fill with shadow. He darted forward, and detached his sword from its magnetic sheath. The others followed suit with their weapons and he nodded approval. They had learned he was he smartest man in the room when it came to a battle.

A loud ping filled the air and the doors opened. No one advanced at first, until a wall of slugs was peppered from rifles of guards within. He dived to his left and executed a roll that carried him back to his feet behind a pillar. He forced calm and thought through what moves he had before he rushed round the left side of the pillar and into the sanctuary of another in front.

A quick glance back showed him that Barret looked on as Cloud drew the unit's attention to him. He continued to supply the distraction and watched Barret duck behind a thick pipe. As his arm was aimed through a small gap in pipes that granted him cover, Cloud ducked into cover of his own. He smiled as the ruse worked. The Shinra guards had been so focused on taking him out that none had seen the danger until it was too late. One man took three shots in his right leg; Cloud winced as he saw the shin, kneecaps and thigh all punctured. The guard screamed and fell to his back, while confused comrades spun around and fired blind, their own bullets clashed with the pipe. None saw the black man lie on his stomach to avoid any drilling through the cover and into his body.

A repeated sound of clanging disturbed the air and the guards turned to see a grenade bounce at their feet. The guards saw their lives flash in front of them, before one brave comrade threw his gun aside and dived atop the projectile. His body was blown into pieces and shielded his fellow men from danger.

Despite the second chance, they were all too shocked to take the lifeline that had been offered them. From their left, Cloud re-emerged and attacked. The giant blade collided with the temple of one man and spewed blood across the lift. A figure tried to use his rifle as club, but the wooden butt was smashed to shards by the heavy blade. Cloud headbutted the figure and thrust his weapon through the enemy's chest.

Behind him the other two members entered the fray. Jessie twirled her blades through the air, their edges sliced sinew and chopped through flesh. Two guards fell to her deadly dancing style, before the brash Biggs followed up with some ferocious clubbing. His baton smashed one man's temple like a hollow egg, before he backhanded the weapon across the last guard's face and sent him into the gunfire from Barret's arm. As the silence descended once again, Cloud cleaned his sword and sheathed it on his back. The others gathered their breath before they too holstered what weapons they had.

'That tells me we'd better hurry.' Cloud suggested.

'No time to mess abou! Biggs; keep yo' eyes on th' doors back there. Jessie, you's comin' with us!' The trio darted onto the elevator towards the lower levels without further word.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The girl could not recall how many nights she had spent walking through the cobbled streets of the upper city; yet she did it with a smile and swung a basket under her arm. It had taken three long years of toil in the dry polluted earth of the slums to fill it with flowers. With her roots beeded deep the plants bloomed to the point she had enough supply to move her business to the upper plate.

A sense of melancholy filled her though, she had been driven by a desire to walk through the dust and danger, to spread love and peace to a world that didn't understand or embrace either. But, she was happy, the flowers always sold due to how alien they were to the dark city. It was a name she coined herself, though she seldom ever spoke it. Unlike every other person in the metropolis, she always felt watched from the shadows. For years her every movement had been drank in. She knew why they watched and wished her guardian would return. Without her protector, she was easy prey.

Yet tonight, her instincts led her somewhere different. As she walked along the alleyway between Sector Eight train station and the town square, she felt no danger. Instead she was captivated by an inner calm; a sense that if she stayed right where she was, things would work out in her favour.

An open door that jutted from a nearby building drew her eyes. Inside she saw a well of energy and it dazzled her, as though to stare into it was a search through the depths of the pool beyond life. But the lights made no sense and she pulled away with some difficulty. She opted to stand in the centre of the square and called out to the populace with offers of her flowers.

* * *

Barret slid against the back of the elevator and took in shallow breaths, while Cloud peered at Mako tubes through the glass. The chutes reached for at least eight miles, if not further. Though he knew this was just the feed pipes that syphoned the energy from the planet. The actual walkways would comprise no more than one mile at a push.

'As I wuz sayin'' Barret said, 'the planet's slowly being eaten alive. All these machines suck it dry.'

'It's not my problem.' Cloud answered. _For the love of all the gods don't preach._

'The planet's dyin' Cloud! Can't you see that?"

Cloud shrugged, 'Getting out of here before the roboguards come is top priority. The place will be swarming if we aren't careful.'

Barret raised his fist and snorted. Cloud ignored him; he neither needed nor wanted approval. On the other side of the elevator he saw Jessie focused on a console, no doubt she kept her distance from the storm that brewed.

As they stepped off the elevator, the size of the world almost overwhelmed them. To the untrained eye it seemed to continue forever, with the level they stood on little more than an entryway. The huge squared area resembled a helipad, though a small refinery lab stood at the end, with huge rails that surrounded the perimeter to prevent any falls over the edge.

Beyond was a huge chute that descended down into a huge pit full of a Mako extraction by-product. Cloud took point, since the other members were transfixed by the reactor's scale, he wanted to be sure they didn't fall into a trap. He set foot on the first step of the stairwell with care and made his way down to a middle level. The low roof and swathe of stone pillars made it feel like he was in a multi-storey parking garage.

He shrugged off the distraction and checked the pair had not fallen too far behind. Satisfied they were together, he led across the central level to another set of iron stairs, though this time they spiralled around the square tower. As he reached the end of the first set, he mirrored the clenched fist Barret used on the train's off and reached into his side-pack.

'Hey punk what d'ya think ya doin'?' Barret said.

Cloud signalled for silence. "We haven't seen any guards yet, and blind corners make a good place for an ambush! Sit back and keep quiet.'

He pulled clear a small mirror, dropped to his knees and angled the object so he could see what waited around the corner. Three times he tilted it and took note of the environment. With a curse he dropped back.

'What's up?' Jessie said.

'They were ready for something like this, I'll give them that. At the bottom of the stairwell is a large perimeter about twenty four metres across. After that there's a narrow bridge through a gate into the next area. That square's loaded with at least twelve men from the Shinra guard.'

'They'll see us comin' if we jus' bust on in!' Barret said.

'I agree, so we'll need to distract them somehow. If we can get them to focus on their rear, we can launch a surprise assault from the front.'

'How are we going to do that? We don't have a rocket launcher or anything long range that can affect everyone.' Jessie said.

He pulled two grenades from his pack. 'Trust me; it'll work. You two wait here; once the explosion goes off, start the attack. I'll back you up straight after.' He darted away before anyone protested; it hadn't taken long to rush back up the stairs. He threaded two long pieces of string into the pins on the way. The knots were looped with caution to avoid the charges going off by mistake. Once ready, he lay on his belly and sighted the line of the guardsmen. From up top he digested much more sense of the Shinra's plan.

The twelve men formed a line angled in a V shape towards the centre. He approved; it granted them a cleaner avenue of escape should an enemy overcome the onslaught. Much more important, it meant they could deploy volley fire, so that the attack was never cut off by reloading. A smile filled his lips as he lowered the grenade arm towards the floor; the only flaw in their plan was it focused on what was ahead of them.

He rolled the projectiles over the edge and each length of string unravelled. He watched the thread swirl and the balls shrink before a small amount remained. He jerked back and closed his fist. There was a tinge of resistance before the pins popped clear.

Three seconds later they exploded. His lengths had been off, the detonation had occurred over the heads of the unit. While they were shaken, they had not scattered as he hoped. He thought fast and hopped the rail into free-fall. He landed on top of a thick lighting rack, they had not seen him! Crouching as low as he could, he turned his eyes to the assault and waited for an opportunity.

* * *

As the explosion rocked the air, Barret took advantage of the distraction and ran at full pelt around the corner stairwell, his right arm raised and left palm locked beneath the huge gun. As he pushed the trigger studs, he flailed the limb around as the distance was too great for precise aim.

The burst of gunfire dislodged the confidence of the Shinra line, and their reprisal took five seconds to begin. Both Jessie and he had ample time to reach the foot of the stairs. The young computer geek launched one grenade through the air and dived behind a thick mako fuel drum. She crouched low and listened to the metal casing sing as gunfire clashed with it.

The grenade sent a light explosion into the air and flung shrapnel at the line in its wake. Despite the desperate power behind the throw, the projectile had not gained enough ground to draw blood. _Time to show these suckers!_ Barret roared in his mind, threw all caution to the wind and ran straight for the centre of the line.

A brave guard ran out to meet him with gun set to auto-fire. Barret looked on as three shots were fired, then stopped and followed by another three round burst half a second later. The stop-start approach might have seemed less deadly than a torrent of shells, but the extra accuracy and timing proved it didn't take an entire clip for someone to be lethal.

One slug hit Barret in the right shoulder and he was flung backwards. His gun sprayed the ground with its last shots before the barrells stopped. He skidded for four feet before he rolled and lay flat on his back.

He watched the guard make their way forward, rifle aimed right at him. A grinding of metal on metal stopped the guard in his tracks. He glanced around to find the source. From above Cloud landed, his huge blade entered at the left collarbone and was driven down into the heart. He placed a thick boot on the corpse's back and kicked it away.

Barret looked on as the Soldier spun on his heel to face the eleven remaining fighters. He ran forward and thrust his blade through a guard's chest. Another aimed to uppercut Cloud with the butt of his rifle, Cloud swung away and retaliated with a right hook that shattered the figure's jaw.

Taking advantage of the interference, Barret leapt to his feet. He fired a burst and two sentries were punched from their feet, holes in their chest and head. With the centre and left side covered, guards filed to the right in the hope of space to regain the initiative. None had seen the advance of Jessie, who had broken cover during his onslaught. One guard whose eyes were trained on Cloud felt, rather than saw, the blade of her knife puncture through his jugular from behind.

Shocked comrades looked on as she pulled the blades clear and shoved the corpse forward. The dead weight forced the men off balance and further back. She did not waste the chance and dived at the first guard in her path, tearing his throat out with both of knives.

The terrified men made an attempt to flee along the bridge to the next zone, but Cloud didn't give them the chance. His giant sword cleaved through two at once, then he chased down the lead guard and lunged him through from behind. The leader slumped forward on the blade and coughed blood. Cloud dragged the weapon back through the entry wound and the sentry slid onto the floor. He called the pair back to the square, at his order they checked for any other guards that had either slipped through the assault or arrived as back up. With the coast clear, all three nodded their heads and rushed to finish what they had started.

* * *

If the walk across the bridges between the sectors had presented a dizzying view to Cloud's eyes; then what he saw in the next area of the reactor made him feel like he was on the edge of reality. The pathways and stairs were replaced by a network of pipes that formed a pattern which stretched onwards in to infinity. Each pipe was at least four feet across and the trio could walk along them in single file with ease.

'Sheesh! Why's anyone gonna do this shit to ge' to work?' Barret said.

Jessie chuckled, 'This is the back door way in, we've already had fights on elevators.'

'Yeah she's right.' Cloud cut in, 'this is going to be the heart of the reactor. Shinra will have retinal scans and finerprints at the main gates near the core.'

The group navigated a girder towards a ladder that descended for forty feet. Cloud took point and began a controlled descent. Barret followed, Jessie, however, did not.

'Go on ahead, I'll keep watch from up here.' She called at his unasked question.

He shrugged and moved on, it was not his plan to question. He took in a deep breath as he stepped off the ladder and walked to the centre of the walkway. Ahead was the colossal cooling tower. Up close he realised it must have been around one hundred feet in diameter. He couldn't even begin to guess what the circumference would be. Due to the incredible size of the cooling tower, the Shinra had been careful with the design of the area before it. A ten feet wide pathway connected the tower with their side of the reactor. Before a large squared area fanned out in front of it. Evidently they wanted to minimise damage caused by potential explosive fallout.

Cloud and Barret walked along the route and were shocked at how unmanned the area was. Cloud had avoided looking at the abyss beneath the bridge, he had seen enough bottomless pits. Barret thought it was christmas, his mini-gun craved to chew through armour. Cloud felt different, so far it had been too easy. Sure the orchestrated fight in Sector Two would have cleared some security traffic, but there had been just three engagements up to this point, surely the situation should have been red flagged by Shinra?

He was about to ponder this further when Barret strode away from him and leant back on a railing at the edge of the platform. Puzzled by this, Cloud walked two further paces before the burly man stared straight at him.

'That thing there mus' be what Jessie wuz goin' on abou'. We's gotta get the bomb set in there somehow, get to it!'

'What was that?' He asked, stunned at being singled out. 'You're the leader here, are you sure you want me to set the bomb? If this is done wrong then everything we've done will be for nothing!'

'Jus' do it! I's gonna watch from back 'ere to make sure you don' try to pull nothin'!'

Cloud shrugged, 'All right, if that's how you want it.'

He pulled the rucksack from the ground and advanced towards the cooling tower. Suddenly, a chilling sensation swept through his body, as if an apparition had crossed his path. He stopped as a voice crept from the depths of his mind.

 _'Be careful! This isn't just a reactor!'_

From the corner of his eyes the world began to change, it was like someone set paper on fire, the corners curled as if flames took hold of his vision. The edge of his view bubbled before he saw a wall of red light. Tiered pods began to stack up, panicked, he forced his mind to focus and drank in the wide core of reactor one. After a moment the baffling view departed and his eyes saw the world normally once more.

'W'a's up?' Barret asked, "you gotta set the bomb!'

He shook his head. 'It's nothing, just a few nerves.' Before the man could grill him about why a former Soldier would feel nervous, he began to set the bomb. There was a large grilled door and he pulled it open then tapped in the data for detonation. Just as he was about to complete the setting, a huge klaxon sounded and he pulled away.

'Hea's up! Loo's like we's go' company!'

Cloud walked to the centre of the platform and stood back to back with the leader. Instinct had led him to make the defensive move and the pair could view most areas of the battlefield. So long as they trusted each other to communicate any danger. A sound of scuttling movement crashed over them like a wave. At first they believed an entire platoon had been dispatched. But, as the noise reached fever-pitch both men broke formation and rushed towards the narrow bridge. A loud thud sounded from above and the pair watched a single enemy jump to the platform before the tower. It was a gigantic robot guard shaped like a scorpion. Eight hydraulic legs arched upwards around three metres, while a huge red armoured exoskeleton stood for another nine metres. The head was triangular and reminded Cloud of a beetle.

Barret's vision was arrested by the weapons that formed the robot's arms. They were designed like old rifles, the barrels easily five metres in length with ridged tips for greater accuracy. The arsenal was completed by a tail formed from interlocking links of metal that curled behind the machine for about twelve metres.

The enemy attacked! Its hydraulic limbs carried it to the pair in a heartbeat. They each scattered as two of the metal legs stabbed at the floor and punctured through concrete like it was made of rice paper. Cloud leapt into the air and swiped at a leg joint then bounced back towards the walkway. His blade had dented the armour, while the tip scraped along a shaft that pumped Mako energy to the underbelly.

The robot levelled both firearms and swirled a pair of spotlights around Cloud. He ran to meet the attack, to his shock the machine recalibrated its aim without further use of the lights. A storm of slugs smashed the foundations. He did not look back at the holes left in their wake.

He glanced left Barret took advantage of the distraction. The leader aimed at the robot's cranium and let rip, a colossal wave of metal sliced through the robot's rifle attack. Barret held his nerve and kept up the assault, as if he aimed to create cover for Cloud to exploit.

He took the offer, darted through to the back of the machine, jumped on the back of a leg joint and propelled himself higher. The scorpion read the sneak attack and swished its tail furiously. He ignored the attack and stabbed his blade into the machine's back then hung from the handle. Before it could become obvious what he planned, he swung his weight around the blade and used the sword as if it were a gymnast's bar.

With a sudden vault upwards, he dragged the sword with him. The speed of the assault meant the machine could not read the move and he drove his weapon home through the machine's throat and into core circuitry. An electric shock flung him and the sword from the enemy's back into the tower. The violent collision rocked him as if he had been hit by a train. Winded, he fell and curled in a ball to lessen the impact with the ground.

Half-stunned, he saw the machine shake on the spot, as if it were helpless. Through blurred vision he caught sight of Barret's smile as he took aim once again. This time he placed the mini-gun on full auto and bullets screamed from the six barrels at a speed quicker than the eye could register. The metal storm rang out across the reactor, with holes and dents formed all over the robot's head.

Cloud shook away the cobwebs and looked on as Barret continued his assault on the machine at the centre of the platform. Suddenly the creature's tail shot into the air, curved like a bow ready to shoot an arrow. Yet the scorpion stood still and not attack Cloud who hid beneath it.

His bewilderment turned to horror as he saw mako energy flow up from the core of the machine. As if it prepared an attack with its tail. He desperately called to the tribal warrior, but blood had gone to Barret's head, and he did not respond.

Anger replaced the concern Cloud possessed and adrenaline coursed through him. He kicked his legs into the air at a sixty degree angle and jumped to stand without use of his hands. He rushed at Barret and grabbed his ignored Barret's confusion, then shocked him further. The veins of the Soldier's arms bulged and he dragged Barret away from the battle.

Furious, the leader tried a head butt. Cloud rolled with the hit and dragged Barrett clear. Suddenly; he dropped his quarry, safe underneath the belly of the beast. Barret was about to attack again when a flash of light filled the area. The pair watched as a one foot wide energy beam was shot from above and dragged across the platform in a semi-circular fashion. The mako driven light formed a scar and the pattern was like after a farmer had chopped a scythe through a field of wheat.

Cloud stared on as Barret looked in to his eyes with a look of horror. Cloud saw the leader shiver before he walked past, picked up his fallen sword and vaulted on to the enemy's back once more. This time he did not hold back, the forty-two inch blade hacked at the armour, shafts and wires. Beneath him, Barret ran and saw a gap appear within the exoskeleton, without a second thought he began to shoot. The slugs pierced through the exterior and into the core circuitry.

Then Cloud saw the main mako shaft right in front of him, without hesitation he thrust his sword into the exposed armour and shattered the tube. Blue fluid sloshed from within. Sparks were spat from the armour and he vaulted clear, to land alongside Barret. The robot staggered and toppled from the ledge. Neither pair looked down as the machine's explosion rocked the reactor's depths.

For two minutes the pair gathered their breath and let adrenaline stabilise in their bodies. Once calm, Cloud returned to the tower's iron door, a red light told him the bomb was armed and ready. Barret nodded and Cloud pressed the button, a beep came from the leader's watch.

'We's got jus' ten minutes, so let's fucking go!' Barret said.

* * *

Jessie had watched the action unfold from the pipework above. She wished that Biggs had been able to see it, the guy would have been forced to eat all his words about Cloud. Though from the blood streaks still fresh on the pipes, she had not done so bad herseld with the guards that appeared from nowhere. Though what she pulled off paled in comparison to the battle waged by Barret and Cloud.

'Hey girl!' The burly man said as he leapt off the ladder. 'You see the big guy at work?'

She chuckled and nodded. 'It was impressive.'

'Yeah, shame that running down our escape clock isn't.' Cloud cut in.

'Jeez jus' piss all over my parade eh punk?' Barret said.

'You want to blow the reactor? That parts done, you want to escape? That isn't, so unless you want to get burned to a crisp, move it!' For a second none spoke before Barret nodded. 'Then go!'

* * *

As the elevator opened, Cloud led the trio on and ignored Barret's incessant calls for the barriers to be opened as best he could. They ran down the stairs and on to the T-shaped bridge. He was almost at the main gate when Jessie fell down, he cursed, scooped her on his shoulder and dived for the exit. Behind him a mass of minor chain explosions erupted, before a thunderous main tremor shook the bridge and the pair spooled into the rest of Avalanche.

He turned his head and drank in the reactor's imager. Huge fissures had formed along the exterior, while gargantuan slabs of concrete and metal broke free and plummeted to the slums and tore through part of the upper plate's foundation. The open top of the tower spewed a column of flame instead of Mako smog. The heat warped some of the girders that surrounded it, while a flash of fire erupted from the entrance of the reactor and the cacophonous noise shattered the still of the night.

On the horizon a repeated sound of helicopter rotor blades smote the bomb's echo. Avalanche darted through the gate and down a subsidiary tunnel away from the main sector checkpoints. The group had no idea if the helicopters were mean to fight the fires or secure the perimeter. Either way, their mission had succeeded, now they had to get out of the strike zone. Cloud knew this would not be easy but followed the lead of the group, this was where their big plan would have its true test.


End file.
